Bernie Sanders Ends His Campaign -- but Not Without an Emotional Exit (VIDEO)

Bernie Sanders made the honorable move of asking delegates to accept the nomination of Hillary Clinton during the roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention ... but that doesn't mean that he bid farewell to the 2016 presidential race without welling up with tears. In fact, it was Bernie's very human response to his brother's speech (praising his accomplishments and invoking the memory of his parents) that will forever remind me of the kind of person Bernie Sanders is.

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Bernie's brother, Larry (a delegate representing those Democrats living abroad), stood up to cast his vote with "enormous pride" in what caused a groundswell of emotion for the senator -- who was undoubtedly (although perhaps less loudly) just as disappointed as many of his impassioned supporters to be officially bidding farewell to his dreams of giving us a future to believe in as president.

Bernie promises that his revolution will continue, but only, of course, if those who were #FeelinTheBern cast a vote for Hillary Clinton in November -- even if it's simply in an effort to prevent Donald Trump and his hateful, dangerous, divisive rhetoric from ever reaching the Oval Office. Added bonus? No one, especially our daughters and future daughters, will ever think the job of commander in chief is a "boys only" club.

Yes, there are some (myself included) who see that historic breaking of the glass ceiling somewhat tainted by the political nepotism and elitism within our Democratic party. But there is no doubt that Hillary is now the most qualified and intelligent choice (the only choice) to perpetuate a world in which Bernie's progressive ideals can move closer to reality -- and there is no doubt that she'd be achieving a pretty huge, long-overdue first while at it.

I want to applaud Bernie for the fair and honest and inspiring campaign he ran. I want to applaud Bernie for helping to push the Democratic party farther to the left with his progressive ideals and for sticking it out until the DNC's platform reflected much of that -- and then sticking with the party for the sake of unity. I, most importantly, though, want to applaud Bernie for being the embodiment of a real mensch -- a Yiddish word that defines a person of integrity and honor, a person who does the right thing.

He, once again, did what was right by asking that Hillary Clinton be accepted as the Democratic nominee at the conclusion of the vote -- because now, more than ever, we need to unite against the enormous and irreversible threat that Donald Trump and his platform would bring to every single one of us. But when I go to the voting booth to say #ImWithHer in November, I will also be envisioning Bernie Sanders with his eyes welling up during roll call. I might even, after this emotional election season, shed a few tears of my own.